Novelty greeting card or folder



Feb. 11, 1 941. F. w. WENDLING 2,231,785

I NOVELTY GREETING CARD OR FOLDER Filed April 25, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A5 PLAIN A5 THE NOSE ON mms FACE W h ndllhg Feb. 11, 1941. F. w. WENDLING 2,231,735

NOVELTY GREETING CARD OR FOLDER Filed April 25, 1 40 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E W: h endiinj Patented Feb. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relates to a novelty greeting card forming a greeting or salutation, a grotesque picture and an inflatable element having a portion projecting through said picture and related 5 to the description and picture.

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a greeting card including a section formed of a plurality of plies between which is disposed a container for holding a toy balloon, said balloon having an elongated restricted portion for projecting through one of said plies and through a picture thereon and with which it is thereby associated, and of which it forms a part, to provide a figurative embodiment of a greeting or salutation described on the card.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the 20 drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein;

Figure 1 is a plan view of a folded greeting card, shown in a closed position,

Figure 2 is an edge view in elevation of the same,

Figure 3 is a top plan view showing the card in an open position,

Figure 4 is a plan view of the blank from which the card is formed showing the container for the toy balloon,

Figure 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along the plane of the line 5-5 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantially along the plane of the line 6-6 of Figure 1,

Figure 7 is a side elevational view showing the balloon inflated and mounted on the supporting base member, and

Figure 8 is a plan view of said base member.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, l designates generally a greeting card of the folder type, constructed in accordance with the invention and including generally a front section II and a back section l2, which sections are folded along the portion l3 which forms a hinge for opening and closing the sections. The card I0 preferably includes a blank, as shown in Figure 4, and designated generally [4, which is folded crosswise along the broken line I to form the front and rear sections I l and I2, respectively, which sections are thereby (Cl. 46-35) I each formed of two plies including the outer and inner or front and back plies, l6 and I1, respectively of section II and the inner and outer or front and back plies l8 and [9, respectively of section l2.

The exposed side of section [6, which forms the front face of the card folder I0, is adapted to be suitably inscribed or printed in ornamental manner with a portion of a greeting or salutation, as at 20, and in the embodiment as disclosed in the drawings, with a picture of a clowns head, as seen at 2|, which is partially enclosed in a question mark 22 and which is ornamented by a number of suitably positioned I toy balloons 2s. The inner or back side of the section II formed by the exposed face of the rear or back ply, has printed thereon a subject matter 24 which forms the second half of the greeting o-r salutation of the greeting card and continuation of the printed matter 20.

The exposed face of the. inner or front ply l8 of section I2 has inscribed thereon a'grotesque representation as for example the clawn face 25. In lieu of a nose, the ply l8 is provided with an opening 26 at the point where the nose would 25 be situated on the representation or picture 25.

As .best seen in Figures 4 and 5, a flexible container or bag 2'! is disposed in the space between the plies and I9 and is suitably secured, as by means of an adhesive, at its upper end to the ply l9, as indicated in Figure 4 at 28. One side of the bag or container is provided with an opening 29 which is disposed to register with the opening 26 and through-which projects the elongated restricted portion 30 of a balloon 3| the body portion of which is contained within the bag 2'! and between the plies l8 and I9.

A base member 32 is also adapted to be contained within the bag 21. The base member 32 comprises a disk having a central opening 33 and a plurality of slits 34 extending inwardly from the edge thereof and terminating in spaced relationship to the opening 33, for a purpose which will hereinafter be explained.

The blank I4 also includes a portion 35 which forms an extension of the bottom edges of the plies l6 and [9, which is adapted to be folded along the line 36 to form a flap which holds the plies l6 and I1, and I8 and I9 together at their free edges. The flap 35 is provided with pictures 31 which are of a type to be related to pictures 2| and 25. In the embodiment as illustrated, the pictures 31 take the form of a dog and two balls, which are shown partly in relief. For the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the spaced side of the ply I8 is provided with the inscription 33, reading Happy Birthday.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that the greeting or salutation 2|], 24 has a definite relationship to the ornamentations 2!, 22 and 23 and to the picture 25 and the portion 30* of the balloon which, being disposed, as illustrated in Figure 3, represents an elongated nose of the clowns face 25. When received, the card or folder IE] will be in a folded position, as illustrated in Figure 1, so that inscription 20 will be read and the ornamentation associated therewith seen. The folder [0 is then opened on the hinge or fold I3 to a position, as seen in Figure 3, to expose the grotesque picture 25 and the elongated portion or nose 3!], which, hangs loosely from the opening 26 to produce a very amusing and novel sight in connection with the picture 25, of which it forms a part. Upon reading the last half of the salutation or greeting, forming the subject matter 24, it is signficant of the exaggerated size of the nose portion 30 and will become fully apparent so that the effect of the greeting or Salutation is conveyed both by the printed matter and by the ornamentation, including the picture 25 and the nose portion 30, which effectively emphasizes the thought to be conveyed.

After the card or folder It has served its purpose as a greeting or salutation, the flap 35 can be turned outwardly to enable the sections to be opened and swing them along the fold line 15 to expose the open end of the bag 21 so that the balloon may be withdrawn therefrom and inflated. After being inflated the neck portion of the balloon, designated 38, is passed through the opening 33 and twisted to position it in one of the slits 34 the sides of which are suficiently close together to clamp the twisted neck to prevent air from escaping from the balloon. The base 32 forms a support for mounting the balloon in an upright position, as seen in Figure 7. The balloon is adapted to be of the type commercially known as character balloons the body portion of which is preferably shaped and marked to simulate the picture 25.

Obviously, only one of a number of possible embodiments of the invention has been illustrated and described and it is to be understood that the invention, as disclosed, readily adapts itself to other forms of greeting cards or folders, such as Christmas cards, New Year, Valentine, Saint Patricks Day and other holiday greeting cards in which the ornamentation, the picture 25, and the shape and size of the elongated portion 3!! can be readily varied and modified to other pictorial representations appropriate to the greeting being conveyed and to the wording of the salutation or greeting.

Various other modifications and changes are likewise contemplated and may obviously be resorted to provided they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An article of the class described comprising a sheet folded lengthwise and crosswise forming sections, each formed of two plies, the inner ply of one of said sections being provided with an opening and said ply having a representation of a grotesque figure thereon of which said opening forms a part, a container mounted in said section and between the plies, a toy balloon carried by said container, said balloon being provided with a restricted, elongated portion projecting from said container through said opening and associated with said representation.

2. A device as in claim 1, the inner ply of the other section containing an inscription including a greeting related to the pictorial representation, and arranged to be exposed simultaneously therewith when the sections are opened.

3. A greeting card comprising a card formed of hingedly connected sections each comprising two plies or thicknesses, one section of said card forming the front portion thereof, having an ornamentation and printed matter on each side thereof, said printed matter constituting a greeting or salutation, the face of the inner ply of the other section being provided with a grotesque picture having an opening forming part of said picture, a toy balloon disposed between the plies of said last mentioned section, and having a restricted portion projecting through said opening, said restricted portion forming a part of the picture and having a definite relationship to the printed matter of said first section, and a container disposed between the plies of said other section and attached to one of said plies, said toy balloon having an enlarged body portion disposed within said container, and said toy balloon being removable from the container, for inflating.

4. A novelty greeting card com-prising a card formed of two hingedly connected plies, one of said plies having a fiap at its free edge for engaging the free edge of the other ply to retain said plies in substantially parallel relationship, a container disposed between said plies and secured to one of said plies and having an opening in one side thereof, the other of said plies being provided with an opening to aline with the said container opening, said openings being adapted to receive the restricted portion of a toy balloon, disposed in said container, for positioning said portion of the balloon on the outer side of said other ply, said outer side being provided with a grotesque representation of which said restricted portion of the balloon forms a part.

5. An article of the class described comprising a sheet folded to form two sections each formed of two plies, one of the plies of one of said sections being provided with an opening and said ply containing a picture of which the opening forms a part, a member formed of rubber disposed between the plies of said aforementioned section and having a portion projecting through said opening and associated with and forming a part of the picture, and means disposed between the plies of said aforementioned section for attaching the rubber member to said section and for retaining a portion thereof in said opening.

FRED W. WENDLING. 

